GPS-based navigation systems for automotive vehicles, which provide drive route instructions from a starting location to a destination location are known. Further, GPS-based systems that enable a driver to preview information about an intended drive path, such as speed limits, curves, hills, and other characteristics of roads on a map are also are known. Such systems typically store or download a pre-determined set of data that relate to known roads that are most commonly driven by members of the general public. These data or “maps” are typically generated and provided by third-party vendors. Such systems are data intensive because they are mass produced for general consumers and typically include map data for a large number roads across a large geographic area, such as the entire United States, even though any individual driver is unlikely to ever use most of the data in the system.
Known systems, once downloaded or purchased from a vendor, are typically “static”, that is they provide the driver with a preview of roads known at the time the vendor acquired the map data. They do not adapt to changes in known roads or learn new roads that were not previously captured by the vendor. To address new and changing roads, vendors commonly provide periodic downloadable “updates” to the map data for purchase by the user of the system. However, such updates can be costly, inconvenient and untimely. Further, known systems are not customized for the particular driving habits and patterns of an individual driver. Accordingly, known systems are not useful in situations where a pre-determined map is not available (e.g., where the intended drive path is away from common public roads) or where the map vendor has not yet acquired or released updated data for a new road. Further, known systems do not interact with the automotive vehicle to adjust the driving characteristics of the vehicle in response to particular driving habits and patterns of an individual driver over time.